Fake Smiles, Real Tears
by Nova Gallaway
Summary: Michaela hides behind her smile, not letting her three brothers see the sadness underneath. Humanized with Female Mikey.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all, i have returned with a new chapter to this story after a few months. I have changed a couple of small things in the first two chapters so please read from the beginning.**

 **Enjoy!**

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"Kayla!" a teen with a mass if curly red hair said as she put up her hand and walked towards the table.

Two of the three girls at the table groaned. "Here she comes." One of them muttered.

"Come on Tori," Kayla said as smiled at her best friend. "She's new here and she needed a friend."

"But did it have to be us?" Sara, her other best friend asked.

Kayla fixed her bright blue eyes on Sara's brown ones as the other girl sat down. "Yes," she said flatly. Then, she focused her eyes on the new girl. "How are the classes going Shelia?"

"They're going great!" Sheila said in a thick Irish accent, "Although, Mr. Turner is a little, ah, stern."

Tori laugh. "That is a nice way of putting it."

Kayla laughed as a breeze blew a strand of her long blond hair on to her face. She was regretting her decision to let Sara and Toni convince her to eat lunch outside of the cafeteria on the schools patio. The teen tucked the strand behind her ear. "Mr. Turner is tough. . . Have you made any new friends?" She glanced at the others. "I mean, besides us?"

After finishing her first bite of lunch, Sheila nodded and smiled. "Not really . . . But I already have a crush on one of the guy's here. I've seen him a couple of times in the halls, and he is so cute!" Her smile grew wider. "He's got the most _amazing_ deep blue eyes and his dark hair that just hits the middle of his back." She took another bite. "He's gorgeous."

Kayla's eyes narrowed, she knew that description well. "Do you know his name?" She asked.

The red head gave a sheepish smile. "Oh, well I don't know his name for sure. . . But I think I heard one of the teachers called him Leonardo." Tori almost choked on her food, and Sara stifled a laugh. "Are you okay, Tori?" Shelia asked.

Tori waved her off. "I'm fine. . ." She gave the blonde a mischievous smile. "Kayla. . . Do you think Leonardo is hot?"

"Well he _is_ good looking," she smiled. "But he's not my type." The response made Sara laugh even harder.

Sheila was confused. "Did I miss something?" she asked.

"Leo is my eldest brother." Kayla said simply.

The new girls face turned almost the same color as her hair. "I am _so_ sorry, Kayla! I had no idea!"

The blonde waved her off. "It's okay. . . Most girls have a had a crush on either Leo or Raf at one time or another. And all of the smart girls had a crush on Donnie."

"Donnie. . ." Shelia said as her embarrassment went away, "really tall, shaggy brown hair, nice brown eyes?" when Kayla nodded Sheila went on. "He introduced himself earlier in science class . . . Who's Raf?"

"He and Donnie are my older brothers too." Kayla said. She cast her blue eyes at the outside clock. Lunch would soon be over. "Tori. . ." she narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Any plans for tonight?"

"Well. . . Nathan and I are going to the movies." Her olive skin blushed slightly.

"Yes!" Kayla and Sara did a fist pump in the air. They had been trying to get tori and Nathan together for a couple of semesters now, in ways that were subtle and ways that were not so subtle. Now it looked like their hard work was paying off.

"Finally," Sara smiled.

"It's just the movies . . . and dinner." The dark haired girl insisted.

"And maybe a kiss goodnight," Shelia said, making the others laugh.

At that moment, the bell that signaled ten minutes to the next class sounded, and the girls all stood at once. "I'll see you later." Kayla said giving them each a quick hug as they all went to their afternoon classes.

* * *

"Hey guys." Kayla said as she walked to Leo's car where her brothers were waiting.

"Where were you?" Leo asked raising an eyebrow slightly.

She gave a dramatic sigh. "Shelia's mom was late picking her up and I decided to waited with her."

"You could have called." Donnie said. "Your phone is still working, right?" He narrowed his brown eyes.

Kayla gave another sigh. "Yes it works. . ." She glanced at the middle brother. "I don't throw it like Raf does."

"Hey." the hot headed brother started to argue, and Kayla swore the spikes that he wore his red-brown hair in stood at attention. But before he could continue, he was cut off.

"It doesn't matter now," Leo spoke sternly, "but you should have called us." He cut off the conversation by pulling the keys to the car out of his dark blue hoodie. "Ready to go?" he asked climbing into the driver's seat. Rafael grumbled as he also climbed into the front while Donnie and Kayla climbed in the backseat.

On the way home Kayla pulled out a book she needed to read for English class. As she started to read however, she found it difficult to focus on the words. Her blue eyes grew heavy and soon she found herself resting her head on Donnie's shoulder. He smiled and gave a small chuckle and then gently stroked her head as she slept.

Raf heard the noise and turned around. Instantly, his usually harsh emerald green eyes softened. "Someone's tired." He smiled.

"You would be too if you had two big tests, and insisted on showing the new girl around the school." Donnie whispered so he wouldn't wake his little sister. He focused on his older brother. "Congratulations on not getting detention, by the way. You made it three days in a row so far."

"I'm just glad I was there to stop you before you threw a punch today." Leo said, deadpan. "You need to learn how to control you temper Raf."

The middle brother groaned. "Do you have to keep saying that?"

"Keep it down please." Donnie said.

"Sorry," Raf said.

The rest of the ride home went by in silence.

"Kayla. . ." Donnie said as the car pulled into the garage. "Wake up sleepyhead."

The teen groaned and sat up in the seat. "What's up?"

He gave her a sweet smile as he opened his door. "We're home."

Kayla put a hand to her mouth as she yawned. Then she stepped out of the car just in time to see Raf throw Donnie's bag to him, and watched as he struggled to catch it. "Hey! Be careful Raf, my computer is in here." The shaggy haired brunette said with wide brown eyes.

"You caught it, didn't ya?" Raf said as he tossed Kayla's bag to her, which she caught instantly with one hand causing her brother to grin. "See, Kayla caught hers."

"True, but she didn't have and expensive laptop in it." The youngest boy said defensively.

Leo rolled his eyes and opened the door into the house. "Would you knock it off please?" He said holding the door for the others.

As Kayla walked into the house she was greeted by a familiar voice. "Welcome home, my children." She turned to see a man in his early fifties smiling at her and her brothers.

She gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hello father."

* * *

Donnie was only about half way through his homework, but he was already tired. "Guess it's time to break out the coffee." He told his laptop. As he walked down the hallway, he saw something that gave him pause. The door to Kayla's room was open, and he could see the glow from her desk lamp. Since the light was on he knew his sister was studying, but she always kept the door closed so she would be bothered by noises. Curious, he knocked on the trim around the door.

"Hello?" She said turning around. After a split second, she smiled. "Oh hey Donnie. . . What's up?"

He paused for a moment. Her voice was weary, and her normally bright blue eyes were shaded. "You left your door open." He said using his thumb to point at the door. He narrowed his chocolate brown eyes slightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said brightening up.

He raised a curious eyebrow at her sudden lightness. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said stifling a yawn. "Just a little tired."

Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere, he decided to let it go for now. "Me too, I was just going to get a cup of coffee."

She just managed to hide her involuntary shutter. Even though her genius brother was smarter than most of the teachers at school, he couldn't cook to save his life. None of her brothers could. That's why she and her father did all of the cooking. The only reason Donnie was even allowed in the kitchen was because he made coffee for himself and even that was dicey. She smiled "Do you need any help."

Donnie couldn't hide a smile. "I think I can make a cup of coffee."

Kayla was unconvinced. "Just follow the directions _exactly._ " She said, emphasized the work exactly.

Her brother rolled his eyes. "Yes mom." He said walking out of the room.

She followed and shut the door, and then went back to her desk. Her eyes instinctively mover to one of the three pictures that sat in frames on her desk, and she picked it up. A picture of a woman in her early thirties with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes like her own, smiled back at her.

Kayla sighed as tears welled up in her eyes. "Mom."

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	2. Chapter 2

**For those who have read the story before, please read this chapter again. I have changed a few things toward the end of the chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Her light blue eyes opened just large enough for her to see three of the four different color numbers of her digital clock. If she hadn't been so tired, Kayla would have smiled. The clock had been a gift from her brothers when she had started high school. The four color numbers were their favorite colors. Leo's was blue, red for Raph, Donnie was purple, and Kayla's was orange. She love it from moment they gave it to her. At the moment however, she wanted to throw it across the room. There were only three colors visible, and they read a time that was way too early in the morning to be getting up. She closed her eyes again.

Except now she couldn't get back to sleep. After about ten minutes or so she let out a small groan of frustration and switched on her bedside lamp. This inability to sleep all night, and being more tired during the day as a result, had been going on for almost a month now. And the blonde was growing, well, tired of it.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and then stood up and tip-toed out of the room. Kayla then quietly made her way down the hallway, past the living room and kitchen, and then outside onto the deck that overlooked the Japanese garden that her father called his small piece of home.

As she looked around the garden, she thought of the man she and her brothers called their father. From what he had told them (and from what she found out when she googled his name) Hamato Yoshi had been a world class martial arts master in more styles than she knew existed. Nicknamed 'Splinter' because of the way he shattered boards when he split them, he was also the only person in history to have achieved the highest ranking in five or more different martial arts. Not only that, he was considered to be one of the best in each of them and had the awards and medals to prove it. She also knew he was forced into retirement from competitive martial arts due to a knee injury he refused to talk to them about, that also left him with a limp. After that he seemed to retreat from public life in Japan until he came to America to help her mother.

After her mother died, and with no father in the picture, Hamato Yoshi adopted Kayla and her brothers and has since thought of them as his own. From a young age he began to teach them everything he knew about the martial arts in the dojo in the basement of their large house.

Kayla let out a chuckle at a memory from a few months ago. Raph had sprained his wrist and was unable to spar, so their father (who they respectfully called sensei in the dojo) had paired her with Donnie. Then, when they were finished, Leo asked who he would spar with. Sensei surprised them all of them when he said. "Me."

She remembered the stunned look on her eldest brother's face like it was yesterday. It was a cross between honored and scared out of his mind. But, they sparred anyway and Sensei took Leo down in thirty seconds without even raising a hand to block or foot to kick. After he helped Leo off the mat, he turned to them with warmth in his dark amber red eyes. "Everything you know, I have taught you. . . But I have not taught you everything that I know."

Faint footsteps behind her with no limp brought her out of the memory, and she smiled. "I woke up and I couldn't get back to sleep, Leo."

He kissed her on the top of her head, and then moved to stand beside her. "How did you know?"

Kayla turned to see his smile in the moonlight. "You, Raph, Donnie, and father have been following me around my whole life, I've gotten to where I can sense when one of you is following me."

Leo was curious. "Can you tell us apart?" He asked even though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

She looked at his deep blue eyes and nodded. "The energy each of you gives off is different." She rolled her eyes. "I know that's a very Sensei like response, but it's true." She cast her eyes over the garden, lit by the moonlight. Suddenly, she yawned.

"You need to go back to bed," Leo spoke softly.

She raised an eyebrow. "So do you."

He smirked, put his arm around her shoulder, and guided her in into the house. "Okay, we'll both go back to bed."

Kayla yawned again, "Sounds good to me."

* * *

"Breakfast was wonderful Michaela." Her father, who insisted by calling them all by their full names, complemented his daughter as he looked across the kitchen table.

She beamed; Kayla always liked to receive complements from her father. "Thank you, Father." She turned to the others and raised an eyebrow.

"I agree father," Leo smiled as he focused his blue eyes on hers. "It was great." Raph and Donnie had their mouths full of food, so they only nodded.

She laughed at the two younger brothers, "Good, because you three are doing the dishes after training." Four sets of eyes grew wide. Normally, since the three Hamato brothers were dangerous in the kitchen period, she wouldn't let them anywhere near the dishes. But today was different. "I have to run to the grocery store, and then go to the library." She raised an eyebrow. "And since I got up early on Saturday to fix everyone breakfast, it is the least you can do, right?"

Raph opened his mouth to argue, but his father cut him off. "Michaela is right. After training, the three of you will clean up the kitchen."

Leo and Donnie nodded. "hai, sensei." They said in unison.

After a moment, Raph sighed and said "Hai, sensei."

She watched as her brothers took their plates, Donnie even picked up hers and Leo picked up fathers, and placed them all in the sink. Then she turned to her father and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks. . ." She placed her hand over her mouth to cover a yawn. Her father raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Can you do me a favor?" She asked.

He smiled and nodded. "I will watch them and make sure they do not break anything."

* * *

Kayla walked down one of the aisles in the Japanese grocery store with a small basket on her arm. This is where she got her father's tea and a few other things on his part of the list that she could only find here.

"Hey Kayla." a familiar voice said behind her.

She turned around and smiled, and then raised an eyebrow at the familiar red head. "Shelia, what are you doing here?" This seemed like the last place she would see the new Irish girl.

"Umm. . ." She blushed. "Well I saw you in the street and. . ."

Kayla put a quick hand up and gave a small smile. It was clear that the new girl was lonely in a new city and wanted a friend to hang out with. "It's okay. . . I still need to grab a few groceries here, and then I'm meeting a good friend for lunch and shopping. Do you want to come with us?"

Shelia quickly nodded, "That would be great!" Kayla smiled, and then proceeded to ask her questions about Ireland.

As the red head talked about her homeland, the door to the small shop opened. The blonde glanced up to see a woman with a young girl who was no older than five enter the shop. She felt a twinge of sadness at seeing the pair.

"Are you okay?" Shelia said bringing Kayla back to the present.

"Yea. . ." She said. And after a moment, she focused on the red-head again. "Sorry, please continue." They talked for a few more minutes until the door opened again.

Suddenly, Kayla's heart started to beat faster and a feeling she couldn't explain washed over her. Something was about to happen in the store, but she wasn't sure what. Her father had taught her and her brothers to pay attention to, and sense when the energy in a room changed. Now, the energy in the store caused a knot to form in her stomach.

"Shelia," She whispered to get the red heads attention, "Stay here for a sec." Shelia opened her mouth to object, but Kayla cut her off. "Trust me." Once Shelia nodded, Kayla walked to the end of the aisle and peaked around the end.

There was young man at the register talking to Mr. Murakami, the owner of the shop. Something about the way he was standing was unusual. He seemed slightly nervous and seemed to be holding something in the front pocket of his faded black hoodie. He gut told her that it was one of two things, neither one was pleasant.

The knot in her stomach grew tighter once the young man pulled a medium sized hunting knife out of his hoodie and pointed it directly at Mr. Murakami.

"Hand over all the money in the drawer."

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	3. The Suspicion Of Tears

_*****Before you go any further. If you have read this story before, please re-read the previous chapter or this will not make any sense.*****_

 **Now what you've been waiting months for!**

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Kayla could sense Sheila's heart racing and turned to her. "I know it's hard," she whispered, "but I need you to calm down enough to help me." She watched the red heads green eyes grow wide, then after a moment she nodded. "Okay I need you to stay here," Kayla silently reached up and grabbed a package of ramen noodles and handed it to Shelia. "Give me ten seconds, and then throw it out the end of the aisle _without_ being seen . . . I'm going to walk to go to the other end of the store. I'm hoping that when you throw that, it will be enough of a distraction that I can get the upper hand." She watched Shelia nod in agreement, and then made her way to the front of the store.

As she got to eight in her count, she got in position.

At nine, she tried not to think about everything that could go wrong.

And at ten, she watched the package of ramen go flying across the store into one of the freezers. Just like she had hoped, the men turned instantly and point the knife.

Instantly, she took her chance.

Kayla jumped at the man and tried to force him onto his back, but he was faster than she expected and slashed the knife at her.

"Hey, don't try to be a hero." The man said smiling. She barely noticed his smile, however. She was more focused on the tip of the blade that now had blood on it. Kayla didn't have to look at her body to know it was hers because she felt the sting in her shoulder.

She smiled and made the 'bring it on' motion with her right hand. "I'm not a hero."

His smile grew wider and wicked. "Good" He said lunging at her.

This time she was ready.

She sidestepped him and grabbed his arm in between her left shoulder and torso, and then in one swift move she hit the back of his neck with her hand just hard enough to knock him out.

"I'm ninja." She whispered, slightly out of breath. After taking a couple of breaths she asked. "Do you have anything I can tie him up with Mr. Murakami?"

The shop keeper nodded and reached into his desk and pulled out a large roll of twine, and then he pulled out a handful of herbs. She smiled as he held them to the struggling gunman's nose and let him breathe them in. After a moment, she could feel him relax underneath her, and he dark eyes slowly faded closed.

"Thanks," she said to the older man. Then she flipped the gunman over onto his stomach and pulled his wrists together. After tying them together, she turned around on his body and tied his ankles together as well.

"Are you okay Michaela?" the shopkeeper said once she was finished, worry evident in his voice. A split second later he noticed a small amount of blood was pooling on the gunman's back. Before he could say anything, Shelia came rushing around the end of the aisle.

"What were those?" She wanted to know.

Mr. Murakami looked at her. "My own blend of nighttime herbs guaranteed to make you fall asleep in seconds." Then he looked back at the blonde. "Your shoulder. . ."

The blonde groaned as the sirens of police cars and ambulances came closer. "I know. . . My family is going to kill Me." she said looking down at the three inch long gash in her shoulder.

* * *

She could feel four sets of eyes looking down at her. They were filed with a combination of concern and relief with a little bit of anger thrown in. Kayla was sitting up in her bed with her arm in a sling to prevent her from moving her shoulder too much. The cut itself wasn't bad. As long as she didn't move it too much, it would be fine in about a week.

"What did you think you were doing?" Raph all but yelled at her. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Raphael, calm down." Her father spoke in a soothing voice. "There is no need to raise your voice."

But their father's soft tone fell on deaf ears. "But father," Donnie spoke up, "Raph is right. . . It's a miracle she only has the one cut."

"Hey!" Kayla glared at the youngest brother. "Give me a little credit for my martial art's skills." She said razing her voice.

"Enough!" Their father spoke in the same tone as when they finished sparing in the dojo. "Raphael, Donatello to your rooms, please."

Raph walked out of the room without a word, while Donnie moved closer to the bed. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I know I don't say it enough, but I love you sis."

"Love you too Donnie." She said as he walked out of the room. Kayla watched the door for a moment, and then turned to the others. "Are you going to yell at me too, Leo?"

To her surprise, He shook his head. "It wouldn't do me any good."

Finally she turned to look into the dark brown eyes of her father. "How much trouble am I in?"

He shook his head as well. "You are not in trouble." He gave a small smile when her eyes grew wide. "You did not do anything wrong. . . You merely did what you knew was right." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "While it would not have been my first course of action for you to have taken, I understand why you chose that plan of action." He stood up and walked to her bed, then placed a kiss on the same spot of her head Donnie had kissed earlier. "I love you Michela."

"I love you too father." She said. Then, she turned back to Leo who hadn't taken his deep blue eyes off of her since they walked into the room.

"What?" She asked.

"I just want to know if you're okay." He said.

She raised a curious eyebrow. "Besides the shoulder, I fine."

He narrowed his eyes for a few moments, and then sat down on the edge of her bed. "I meant are you okay spiritually?" As she rolled her eyes, he said. "I know it's a Sensei response, but I am my father's son." When she said nothing, he continued. "You and I both know that normally you would have gotten out of that fight without a scratch. Out of the four of us, you have the most speed." He smiled when his sister blushed. "You can dodge anything. . . So, are you okay?"

She glanced at the picture of her mother on her desk, then back at Leo. "I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Okay. . ." He studied her for a moment. ". . . You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Kayla nodded. "Yes."

Deciding there wasn't any more to say, he leaned over and kissed her on top of the head as well. "Goodnight. . . I love you."

"I love you too Leo." She said as he walked out the door.

* * *

"Father?" Leo said knocking on the bedroom door. A moment later, it opened.

"Leonardo, my son, come in. What is troubling you?" His father asked as he motioned the eldest son into the room. "I have just finished brewing some of Mr. Murakami nighttime tea, would you like a cup?"

Leo shook his head. "No, thank you. This won't take long" He took a deep breath, then voiced what had worrying him for a couple weeks now. "Has Michaela seemed," He paused as he tried to think ok the right word, "different to you?"

The older man nodded, with concern in his eyes. "I have noticed her spirit does not shine as bright as usual."

"I agree," Leo said nodding. "But I couldn't figure out the reason until just now."

"What is this epiphany my son?" His father asked.

"Just now, when we were talking, I noticed her glance at the picture of mother on her desk." The eldest son said.

The man nodded. "The reason for her dimming spirit. . ."

". . . Has to do with Mother," Leo finished.

* * *

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	4. The History Of Tears

**Hello all, here is the next chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay my children, good work today. We will finish with sparring." The Sensei said to his students. He watched as his sons all glanced towards Michaela.

She noticed, "What?" She asked. "My shoulder is fine. The doctor said it's almost completely healed." Michaela turned to look at her father. "I don't see any reason I shouldn't spar today, Sensei."

He eyed her for a moment, and then gave her a swift nod. "Alright. . ." He cast his amber-red eyes on all is students. "The first match will be Michaela against Raphael."

Michaela gave Sensei a wry smile. Out of all her brothers, she had the best record against Raph. The middle brother had the most power, but the least amount of self-control. All she usually had to do was dodge is attacks until she found an opening. It was obvious that Sensei was going easy on her.

While Donne and Leo moved to the side of the mat, Michaela and Raph took positions on opposite sides. "Rei . . ." Sensei said, and then Kayla and Raph bowed to each other. "Kawate . . ." He spoke again as the two siblings took fighting stances. Finally, after a couple of seconds, the Sensei bellowed, "Hajime!"

Instantly Raph charged at his sister. But as he threw a punch, she dodged it by ducking under it. A split second later, he swiped his leg at her legs in an attempt to throw her off balance. Almost at the same time, she placed her hands on his shoulders and did a front flip over him and then did a hand spring. As she went to do another one however, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and tumbled to the other side of the mat instead

"Not how I planned it, but that will work." She said to herself as she faced Raph again. She was surprised as he was almost to her. She barely had enough time to put up her arms to block before he started throwing punches. After a couple of seconds, he swiped at her legs again. This time he connected with hers, sending her crashing to the floor on her bad shoulder.

"Yame!" Sensei said instantly as he rushed to her with Leo and Donnie close behind. "Michaela, are you alright?"

Kayla opened her eyes to see her father standing over her. She blinked a couple of times, and then groaned. "That hurt," she said stating the obvious. As she leaned up into a sitting position, Kayla hissed at the pain in her shoulder.

"Let me look it." Donnie, their resident medic in training, said gently pushing past his father. "I don't think the cut opened again. . ." He said as he pressed his fingers to the wound. She hissed again, "Sorry . . . it probably got bruised when you hit the floor." He glanced up at Raph, then back at his sister.

"What?" Raph asked narrowing his green eyes.

"I didn't say anything," Donnie said quickly.

"If you've got something to say to me, say it." The middle brother said, his voice getting louder

"Yame!" Sensei said again. "Raphael to your room please, we will talk about this later." They all watched as Raph walked out of the room with a huff.

After a moment, Donnie turned back to Kayla. "The cut didn't open at all, but you'll probably have a nasty bruise in the morning." He said with confidence. "We'll just wrap up your shoulder." He smiled, "as long as you don't use it for a few more days you'll be fine."

* * *

He had his punk rock music so loud; Raph almost didn't hear the knock at the door. He turned the music down and glanced at the door. "Yea?"

"Raph, it's me." Kayla's soft voice said on the other side of the door. "Can we talk?"

As he opened the door, she gave a small smile. "Thanks."

He kept his head down as she entered the middle brother's room. "What's up?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"I hurt my shoulder when I started the second handspring, not when you knocked me to the mat, that's why I rolled instead." She gave a deep sigh. "I was going to add a half twist to the second one like I usually do." When he said nothing, she continued

"I convinced father not to give you the 'you need to be more careful' lecture." She said quietly.. "I told him that it was my fault. . . I probably shouldn't have been sparring anyway."

"Thanks," was his one word response.

"Well at least I got you to say something to me," she said. Then Kayla reached up and placed her hand underneath his chin and forced his eyes to look at her. "Now look at me and listen. . . I know what you're thinking, and this is not like that when I was ten." She could see Raph flashing back to one of the first times they sparred together.

 _As Sensei watched Raph and Kayla walked to opposite sides of the sparring mat, Leo gave him a questioning look. "Sensei, are you sure?"_

 _Donnie was worried as well. "Raph will just overpower her, won't he?"_

 _The man smiled at his sons. "There is more to battle then just power, my sons." He looked back at the others as they took their places. "Rei . . . Kawate . . . Hajime!"_

 _As Sensei gave the command, Raph launched towards Kayla and began to attack. But to his surprise, he couldn't land anything. Kayla was moving too fast. As he swept his leg at her feet, she jumped and placed her hands on his shoulders. Then she launched herself over him and did two handsprings, adding a twist to the second one to where she was facing him when she was finished._

 _"Wow." Leo and Donnie said from the edge of the mat._

 _"Michaela informed me that she wishes to include gymnastics into her fighting style." Sensei said as a smile spread across his face._

 _Meanwhile, Michaela smiled and made a 'bring it on' motion with her hand. Raphs green eyes narrowed and he began to grit his teeth in anger. Then, he charged at her again and began to attack. And again, she was dodging everything he attempted to throw at her. After not landing anything for a couple of minutes, Michaela stuck her tongue out at him. "Can't catch me!" she said laughing. Unfortunately, her laughter sent him into a rage._

 _The next thing he remembered, Sensei was kneeling on the floor next to Michaela holding her. His brothers were yelling at him, and Michaela was crying hard as she held her broken arm._

"This was not you losing your temper." She said bringing him back to the present. "This was me trying to do something and failing miserably."

Raph nodded "okay." But as his protective big brother instincts kicked in, he narrowed his green eyes. "But when I started attacking again, you weren't as fast as you usually are. . . Are you okay?"

Kayla let out a deep sigh. "I'm fine, just a little tired." As if on cue, she yawned. "See?" she said with a smile as she finished. Her smile faded as Raph, who was not amused, merely raised an eyebrow. "I swear Raphie," she said using the nickname she had given him when she was three, "I'm fine."

He gave a small smile at that. She only called him 'Raphie' when she felt he was being overprotective or annoying, and it always got a raise out of him. He knew she was using it as a diversion, and Raph wanted to push her and make her tell him what was going on. But he also knew that when she wanted to keep something to herself, she could be more stubborn then him. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, and then reached up and wrapped her arm around his neck. "I love you, Raph." She whispered in his ear.

Raph planed an arm around her waist, and then kissed her on the top of her head, just like all her brothers did. "Love you too sis."

* * *

 **Translations:**

 **Rei-Bow to each other**

 **Kawate-Take your stance**

 **Hajime- Begin**

 **Yame- Stop**

* * *

 **What did you think? Please review!**


	5. The Fear Of Tears

**Hello all! here is the next chapter! The one after this will probably be coming out very soon as well. . . Enjoy!**

* * *

As she finished braiding her long blonde hair, using an orange ribbon to secure the end of it, Kayla heard Raph let out a deep sigh from down the hallway.

"Kayla, come on. We need to go!" The middle brother yelled, not bothering to hide the aggravation in his voice.

"Coming . . . Just give me a minuet." She said grabbing her orange sash and tying it around the waist of her Hakama pants, and then straightened her black Uwagi jacket. Kayla then slid on her two-toed black Tabi boots and tied the orange ties at her knees a little tighter. Finally, instead of the traditional hood, Kayla took another piece of fabric with two holes in it and wrapped it around her head, centering the two holes on her bright blue eyes.

"Kayla!" she heard her name from down the hall again. But this time it was Leo, "Sensei expects up back by two. If we are going to make a good patrol of the city, we need to leave now." She could sense the impatience in his voice.

She rolled her eyes even though her oldest brother couldn't see her. "I'm coming," she said again." Before she left, her eyes caught the picture of her mother on her desk. She smiled as she wondered what her mother would have thought of her four children roaming the night in traditional ninja gear, helping to protect the city in the dark of night. After a moment, she nodded. "I think you would be proud of us." She said as tears started to fill her eyes.

"Kayla!" all three of her brothers yelled this time, taking her out of her nostalgic state.

"Love you, mom." She said as she walked out the bedroom door.

When she got to the garage, she found her Raph tapping one of his own Tabi boots. "Finally!" He said opening the side door, the tails of his red mask flowing behind him.

"Kayla," Leo said as he followed Raph out the door. "You really should stop braiding your hair when we go on patrol." He motioned his jet black hair that was tied into a bun with a blue ribbon which matched his mask.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Here we go." She whispered to Donnie as they followed.

"Leaving your hair down makes it a weakness." Leo continued. "I can impede your vision as well as create another means for your enemy to catch you."

Donnie's brown eyes looked at her through his dark purple mask. "He's right, you know." He whispered.

She gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "I know, but I like wearing my hair this way." She whispered back.

"You know, Mom used to wear her hair that way." Donnie pointed out. "But you already knew that, because her hair is braided in that picture on your desk." Even in the dark, she could see his smug smile.

Kayla rolled her eyes again. "Whatever." After a few moments however, she smiled. "You are right though."

The smug smile was still plastered on the youngest brother's face. "I know."

* * *

"We need to go," Leo said looking up at the full moon. "Sensei will be waiting for us." He turned to his siblings across the roof top. He watch as his brothers nodded, and waited for Kayla to say something. When she didn't, he became concerned "Michaela?" He moved closer to the edge where his sister was standing and looking down on something across street. "Kayla what is it?" He followed her bright blue eyes and focused on a girl Kayla's age with a mass of curly red hair, and jade green eyes. "Who is that?"

"Shelia, you know, the new girl in school." Kayla said without looking up. "I think she was going to a late movie with Tori and Sara tonight." She stayed became quiet for a few moments as she watched her new friend. "Leo . . . Tell me if I'm wrong . . . But I think she's being followed."

The eldest brother watched the girl for a few moments, and then he noticed a man about a block behind her. The man was subtle, but Leo could tell something was off. "She's being followed" He nodded. Then before Kayla could ask the question, Leo answered. "We'll watch them until she gets home."

Unfortunately, at that moment, the man following Shelia decided to make his move.

Almost in one swift movement, he paced a rag on her mouth. And as she struggled, he dragged her into the dark alley behind him.

"Shelia!" Kayla said leaping down from the top of the building to a small window ledge, and then to the top of a dumpster and landing on the ground with Leo and the others behind her. Kayla ran into the alley just in time to see the man throw Shelia in a dark van. "Let her go!" She yelled.

The man turned ran down the driver's side of the van, but Kayla was faster. She landed a jumping kick in the center of his back sending him to the ground. She went to pin him to the pavement, but the man threw her off, sending her to the ground hard. Kayla sat up in time to see the man run past the van with Leo and Raph right behind him. As Donnie knelt down next to her, she got up. "I'm fine," she said quickly. "Shelia's in the van." Donnie nodded and followed her.

They opened the van and found Shelia unconscious. Donnie placed his fingers to her neck and closed his eyes. "Her pulse is normal." He said with confidence in his voice. "I suspect that he used chloroform to knock her out."

He looked up at his sister to see an empty bottle that once held the chemical in her hand. "Ya think?" She said with a wry smile.

She could see his smile in the dark of the van. "See, I was right." He said, making her roll her eyes.

"Whatever," Kayla said shaking her head. After a second, she spoke again. "Where should we take her? I don't want to take her home the way she is now because it would just freak her mom out."

Donnie shook his head. "That would be hard to explain." He thought for a moment. "I don't think we should take her to the hospital for the same reason." Just as he said the words, his cellphone rang. "Hello? . . . Yea, let me put you on speaker, Leo."

"Kayla?" the eldest sibling's voice came over the phone.

"Did you get him?" She asked hopefully.

"No," the disappointment was evident in his voice. "We lost him. . . How's Shelia?"

The two youngest siblings looked at each other, but Kayla was the first to speak. "She's unconscious, but otherwise she's fine."

"We just don't know where to take her." Donnie went on to explain what he and Kayla had been talking about.

As his little brother finished, Leo made a snap decision. "Bring her back to our house; Father will know what to do."

Knowing an order when he heard one, Donnie nodded even though Leo couldn't see him. "Okay, Leo. . . I guess we'll meet you at home?"

"Yes, thirty minutes at the most." Leo confirmed.

"Okay," Donnie said, "see you then. Be careful."

"You too," Leo said as he hung up.

Donnie turned to the van and gently picked Shelia up, making Kayla smile. Donnie had always been stronger than his thin frame would suggest. "Ready?" he asked.

Kayla nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

 **I tried to do a little research into traditional ninja wear with mixed results. So if i got any part of their costume wrong, would you please let me know? I would be greatly appreciated. :)**

 **Please Review!**


	6. The Question Of Tears

**Hello all! I think this is the fastest I've added a new chapter to a story in a long time.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Just as Donnie laid Shelia down on the living room sofa, Kayla felt a shift in the energy of the room. "Hello Father." She said, without looking up.

"Very good Michaela, welcome home." he turned to his son. "Welcome home Donatello."

Donnie nodded. "Hello father, Leo and Raph should be home in a few minutes."

The old man nodded, then he noticed the girl on the sofa. "Who is this?" He said motioning with a wrinkled hand.

Kayla glanced Donnie who responded by giving her a 'you're on your own look'. She looked back at her father, "this is my friend Shelia. . . She was almost kidnapped tonight." She watched as a worried expression came across her father's face and worry fill his eyes.

"Is she okay?" He asked.

This time Donnie nodded. "She'll be fine. In fact," He looked at the tall clock in the corner of the room, "she should be waking up in a few minutes or so."

Their father glanced at the clock as well, and then focused her eyes on his youngest children. "Are you taking her home afterwards" The old man asked with a raised eyebrow.

Again, Donnie gave his little sister the 'you're on your own look'. "Well . . . We were hoping she could stay here tonight." She said, saying it in a rush.

There were a few moments of silence. Then a smile formed on her father's face. "As long as her mother knows, she can stay." He watched as his daughter beamed at him. "In fact, if you give me the phone number, I will call Shelia's mother."

"That would be great!" Kayla said. Then she wrapped her father in a tight hug. "Thank you Father."

She felt his arms around her as well, "Of course Michaela." He said softly.

* * *

Leo and Raph had been home for almost twenty minutes when Shelia stirred on the sofa and opened her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked to no one in particular. So she was surprised when she got a response.

"You were kidnapped," Kayla said as she placed a cup of her father's calming tea on the coffee table in front of the red head. "But my brothers and I got you back. And now, you're at my house."

The red head took a sip of the tea. "Thank you." She said as she placed the cup back on the table. "All I can remember is the rag covering my mouth, and then someone yelling my name. . ." She looked in Kayla's eyes as the realization dawned. "You were yelling my name!" When the blonde nodded, Shelia raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing out so late? I thought you had to study?"

Before Kayla could answer, the tall clock in the corner rang is Japanese bell twice. Shelia's green eyes grew wide. "Oh my gosh! I need to go home!" She stood up quickly. "Mom will be worried sick!"

Kayla stood up quickly and took her friends hand. "It's okay, Father called your mom and told her you would be spending the night with us." She spoke in a calm voice, and gently sat them both back on the sofa. Almost as if on cue, the older man walked into the room and smiled.

"Shelia" He said gently. "I am glad you are alright after your ordeal."

She gave a small nod. "Thank you Mr. Hamato, but I really don't remember much of it . . . And. . . thanks for letting me stay here tonight."

"Of course. . ." he glanced at his daughter, then back to her, "anything for a friend of Michaela's." he let out a small yawn. "I am going to bed, my child. Goodnight Shelia." He moved towards Kayla and gave her a kiss on the top of her head, "Goodnight Michaela." Her father turned around to face Leo, who was standing quietly behind him, and place a hand on his son's shoulder. "Goodnight Leonardo." The old man said and then walked down the hallway.

After a moment, Kayla spoke. "Shelia this is my oldest brother, Leo. . . Leo this is Shelia."

He nodded. "Nice to meet you . . . Umm . . . How are you feeling?"

Shelia nodded as well. "I'm doing okay, Thanks Leo."

Kayla watched her brother fidget for a few seconds and gave a small smile. If she was reading him right, for the first time she could remember, Leo was nervous. "Well . . . It's late." He spoke again, stating the obvious. "So . . . I'll let you girls get some sleep." Kayla smiled, Leo was definitely nervous.

"Okay, Leo." Shelia said, smile still plastered on her face. "Goodnight." Kayla was sure that she wasn't imagining the subtle blush on her oldest brother's face.

"Goodnight, Shelia" Leo said. Then, just like his father before him, he leaned down and kissed Kayla on the top of her head. "Goodnight Kayla."

After she watched Leo walk down the hallway, Shelia turned to Kayla. "Do they all do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" Kayla responded.

"Kiss you on top of your head." The red head said smiling.

"Oh that," Kayla nodded. "Yes, they've all done that since as far back as I can remember." Then she laughed. "Probably because I've always been the shortest. . . I only grew taller than Father about a year ago."

Shelia looked at the blonde thoughtfully. "It's kind of sweet you know." Kayla nodded without saying anything.

They were silent for a few moments until Kayla noticed Sheila narrowing her green eyes. "What?" the blonde asked.

"You didn't answer my question." When she was met with a blank look, she continued. "What were you and your brothers doing out so late?"

Kayla sighed; she knew this would be coming sooner or later. But she had hoped it would be later. "My brothers and I were out on patrol."

The red head raised an eyebrow. "Patrol. . ." Shelia repeated the word.

The blonde nodded. "We feel it is our duty to protect the city. . . As . . . Well, ninja"

"Ninja" The other girl again repeated the last word.

"Father is a martial arts master, and has been teaching us since I was three." Kayla said. "We use our skills to protect the city."

Shelia gave a small shrug. "Okay. . . But what does your mother think of this?"

Kayla was slightly taken aback by the question. But then remembered what she was thinking about earlier. "I think she would be proud."

The red head caught the phrasing of the answer. "Would be?" she asked.

Kayla didn't know if it was the late night, the fact that she and Shelia had become close friends, or the fact that she had been thinking of her mother a lot lately, but she felt compelled to answer the question honestly.

"My mom died right after she gave birth to me."

* * *

 **Duh, duh, duh!**

 **I know this chapter is shorter that the others but I feel as though this chapter will set up what happens in the next chapter.**

 **Please Review!**


	7. The Revealing Of Tears

**Hello all! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"My mom died right after she gave birth to me." Kayla said.

Shelia stared at the blonde in silence for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say. "I'm sorry," she finally said.

Kayla nodded. "Thank you" She reached out and picked up her tea cup from the table. As she brought it to her lips, Shelia noticed the blonde was trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry," the red head said again. "I didn't mean to. . ." She stopped speaking, unsure of how to finish.

"No, it's okay." Kayla said smiling. "No one knows outside my family, not even Tori and Sarah and we've known each other since kindergarten."

Sheila raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you tell me?"

The other girl shook her head. "I don't know exactly." She said with a shrug. Then without warning, the emotions that she had been holding in for the better part of six months boiled over making tears sprang to her eyes.

She felt Shelia's arm wrap slowly around her shoulders, holding her tight. "Shh. . . it's okay." The red head whispered and just held her for a few moments while the tears began to quietly slide down Kayla's cheeks. Then she became aware of Shelia's hand slowly stroking her head the way Donnie had done only a couple of weeks ago. Just the thought of the youngest brother brought the image of all of her brothers to the front of her mind.

"I feel guilty," Kayla sniffed and pulled away. As she wiped a stray tear from her blue eyes, she said. "I feel like I took their mother away from them. . . I mean, Donnie probably doesn't remember much of her because he was barely two. . . But Leo and Raph were almost five when she died, so they had time together." She noticed the other girl give her a strange look. "What?" she asked.

"Leo and Raph are the same age?" The red head said with a raised eyebrow.

Kayla nodded. "They're identical twins, but Leo is older by about five minutes." When Shelia's green eyes grew wide, Kayla laughed. "Trust me, if Raph took his green contacts out and let the red color grow off his hair, he would look exactly like Leo." After a moment, her smile faded and the room fell silent again.

"You know," Shelia said breaking the silence after a few moments, "the feeling could go both ways."

This time Kayla raised ae eyebrow. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well . . . Your brothers got to meet your mother. Leo and Raph might even have good memories of her. . . But you never got to meet her." Shelia watched as Kayla's blue eyes began to fill with tears again. "Sorry," the red head said softly.

The blonde shook her head. "No, you're right. . ." She swallowed hard, attempting to keep the tears from falling again. "Sometimes I wonder what she would have thought of me."

"I know the feeling." Shelia said. Kayla's focused her blue eyes on Shelia's green ones. "My father died when I was two." When the blonde said nothing, she continued. "I only have a couple memories of him."

Kayla continued to stare at the red head for a few more moments, and then something clicked in her mind. "That's why I felt comfortable telling you about my mom. . ."

"Probably," the other girl nodded. "Because I know how you feel." Shelia opened her mouth to say something else, but closed her mouth as she decided not to speak.

"What?" Kayla asked.

Shelia hesitated, but finally decided to just say what she was thinking. "You should tell your brothers how you feel. . . They might be able to help you."

Kayla quickly shook her head. "No, I don't want them to know."

The red head was surprised. "Why?" she asked.

"Because I don't want to bother them with my problems. . . I feel like I did that enough when I was younger."

"But they are your brothers; their job is to take care of you." Shelia argued.

Again, the blonde shook her head. "Maybe, but I can handle it on my own."

* * *

Leo walked out on to the deck that overlooked the garden just as the sun began to shine through the trees. He placed his teacup down on the railing, and then took a deep breath and inhaled what he and his father called the scent of the morning. It was a combination of the refreshing smell of the water in the koi pond, the sweet perfume of the blooming lotus blossoms, and the earthy scent of the Japanese maple trees.

He was brought out of his trance by the figure he sensed behind him. He gave an involuntary smile. "Good morning Shelia," He spoke softly. "How are you feeling?"

"How did you know it was me?" she said answering with a question of her own.

He smiled. "Father taught all us to sense what is around us." As she moved to stand beside him at the railing, he continued. "He also taught us to feel the energy coming from the people and things around us. . . I knew it was you because the energy you give off is different than any of my siblings or Father."

"Interesting," She said. "The garden is beautiful."

Leo nodded. "Father calls it his little piece of his homeland." He focused his dark blue eyes on her green ones. "You never answered my question. . . How are you feeling?"

"Okay. . . Thanks again for letting me stay here." She said softly.

"No problem." He narrowed his eyes slightly he could sense that her energy shifted. She was more guarded now. "Is something wrong?" When she still said nothing, he asked another question. "Does this have to do with Kayla?" The way her expression changed let him know he had hit the nail on the head. Usually he wouldn't have pushed, that was more Raph's style than his own. But this was different. This was about his little sister. "Please, Shelia. I want to know. . . I know something's been bothering her lately, and I want to help her. . . I'm worried about why she isn't sleeping, and as a result, not being at her best when she needs to be." He looked back out at the garden trying to calm the worry that had formed in his mind.

Shelia sighed. Kayla may hate her for a while, but Leo was her big brother and he should probably know. "She's been thinking about your Mom lately."

Leo gave a small, slow nod. "That was my feeling, but I wasn't sure. . . Is there more?" He asked even though he knew the answer.

Again she felt as though she was betraying Kayla's' trust, but she told herself it was for Kayla's own good. "She. . ." Shelia's took a deep breath. "She feels like you and your brothers might resent her."

Leos deep blue eyes grew wide. "Why?" he asked, slightly stunned.

"She feels like she took your mother away from you." Shelia explained simply.

* * *

Kayla relished the feeling of the wind flying by her as she and her brothers ran across the roof tops that night on patrol. She and Leo had walked Shelia home after training that morning. The rest of her day had been spent helping her brothers clean the house. She had to restrain a laugh as the image of Raph with the toilet bowl scrubber came into her mind.

 _"How did I get stuck with this job?" He asked._

 _She smiled wide. It was too easy. "You're my number one brother." Raph just glared at her, but she could hear Donnie in the other room laughing._

 _After she stopped laughing she said. "Sorry Raph maybe it was uncalled for, buy it was too easy." He continued to glare at her. "I gave you this job because I'm pretty sure you can't break the toilet or anything else in the bathroom."_

 _He groaned, but there was a hint of a smile in his lips. "I broke the vacuum one time." He held out one finger to make his point._

 _"You almost blew it up!" Donnie said standing in the doorway._

 _"How was I supposed to know when the bag needed to be replaced?" Raph argued._

 _"Probably when it started smoking," Donnie countered, deadpan._

 _"Yame!" Kayla said channeling her father. "Raphael, clean." She turned to the youngest brother, "Donatello, back to work." She said pushing him out of the doorway._

 _"Yes ma'am" they said at the same time._

She continued smiling and running with her brothers for a few more minutes until Leo made a stop motion with his hand. "What is it?" She asked quietly. He motioned down in between the buildings to the alley below. Kayla followed his motion with her blue eyes. There were four men, each wearing a piece of clothing in a matching shade of purple, and each one was wielding some kind of lethal weapon. And all of them were pointed at a couple of teens their age. "Purple Dragons." She whispered one of the most feared gangs in the city.

"This is a dangerous neighborhood for cute boys like you." The leader of the group said.

The older boy spoke first. "Please leave us alone." He said stepping in front of the smaller teen.

"W-we just g-got lost." The smaller teen said. "We-we're new in town."

The leader of the Purple Dragons smirked. "Well you pick the wrong place in town to get lost in. . . You see. . ." he walked closer to the older boy. "People who come to this part of town tend to hurt."

The look the leader hand in his dark eyes made Leo act. "Go!" he ordered. Within seconds, he and his siblings landed in front of the two teens. "Leave them alone!" He said, his voice steady and full of authority.

The leader only smiled. "Hey guys, what do we have here? Do you think you guys are ninja or something?"

"As a matter of fact," Donnie said, "we are."

"Well," the leader of the group smirked. "Let's test that out. . . Get um boys!"

Instantly a battle broke out between the two groups with each sibling battling one of the gang members one on one. Kayla quickly dodged everything her opponent tried to throw at her, and after a few minutes, she knocked him to the ground. She then looked up just in time to see Leo send the leader to the ground, then turn to the two teens.

"You better get out of here, now." He said to them. The older teen nodded quickly and grabbed his younger companion.

"Thank you," the younger teen said as they ran out the mouth of the alley and into the night.

Kayla gave them a small smile, but her smile faded quickly when her blue eyes focused on something in the gang leader's hand that glinted in the moonlight. Her blood ran cold as she realized it was the barrel of a gun pointed at her eldest brother. "Leo, look out!" She moved to her eldest brother as fast as she could and then running into him just as a gunshot rang out.

"Kayla!" Leo said as they both hit the ground.

* * *

 **Okay, so this is probably the longest chapter iv'e written in my life, but I think it's totally worth it.**

 **What do you think? Please review!**


	8. The Releasing Of Tears

**Not much to say except here's the next chapter!**

* * *

After the gunshot rang out, Donnie and Raph became vaguely aware of the gang leaders voice. "Guys, let's get out of here." Then they both sensed the gang leaving the four of them in the alley. But their full attention was on Leo who was on his knees trying to stop the bleeding from the wound in Kaylas stomach.

"Hold on imouto." Leo said softly as Donnie and Raph joined him.

"Guys take off your sashes." Donnie said already taking off his own. "We have to stop the bleeding as much as we can." He spoke with an authoritative tone.

"L-Leo?" Kayla spoke, her voice fragile.

The eldest brother handed Donnie his sash as he knelt down beside her. "I'm here Kayla."

Her worried blue eyes met his own. "A-are you o-okay"

He reached down and stroked her blonde hair. "I'm fine. . . Don't talk; you need to conserve your strength." She gave a small nod as Donnie wrapped the last sash around his sister's midsection. "Ready?" Leo asked.

"Want me to call an ambulance?" Raph asked.

"Yes," Donnie said. Almost at the same time however, Leo said "No."

The middle brother raised an eyebrow. "Okay, which is it?"

Leo glanced into Donnie's brown eyes. "We can take Kayla to the hospital ourselves." The eldest brother said.

The youngest shook his head. "We need to move her as little as possible, Leo. . . We don't know where the bullet is and if we move her too much it might cause more damage than it already has."

"Le-o" Kayla spoke softly again, causing dark blue eyes focus on her again.

"Yes imouto?" he said softly.

"T-trus-t D-on-nie" She said.

In that moment, Leo realized that it wasn't his time to take the lead. He glanced up at Donnie. "Okay."

The youngest brother nodded, and then glanced at the middle brother. "Raph, you call an ambulance." He glanced back at Leo, who was still stroking Kayla's blonde hair and reconsidered what he was about to say to the eldest brother. He looked back at Raph, who had the phone to his ear. When he finished the call, Donnie added. "Now go get father and meet us at Community General Hospital."

Raph nodded, he knew that he wasn't his sibling's choice to break bad news to anyone. But he also knew that he was the best choice under the circumstances. The guilt was written all over Leo's face and the middle brother knew it would be a long time before Leo let Kayla out of his sight. And, out of the three of them, Donnie had the most medical knowledge; he would be the best to explain Kayla's injury to the paramedics. "Okay. . . Do you want me to bring you guys some regular clothes?"

Donnie shook his head and then pointed to a nearby backpack. Raph recognized it as one that Donnie always wore when they went out on patrol. "Just hand that to me," Donnie said, "there are clothes for us in there."

The middle brother handed the bag to Donnie without a word and then turned to Kayla. He bent down and kissed her on top her head like they had always done. "You'll be fine." He said softly. "You have to be." When she raised her eyebrow slightly, he smiled. "You're the only one of us who can cook."

* * *

Hamato Yoshi had been pacing slowly around the living room for almost thirty minutes now. Something was wrong with Michaela, he could feel it. He had been meditating and connecting with the spirits of his children like he had always done when they went out on patrol. Suddenly, Michaela's spirit became very dim. He had tried to call his sons, but none of the answered which caused him to worry more.

He turned to walk across the living room to the kitchen, when he heard the side gate in the backyard open. This was followed by the sound of one set of footsteps on the back deck. He focused his dark amber eyes on the back door just as it opened. "Raphael," he said as his middle son entered the room. "Is Michaela alright?" He noticed his sons green eyes become slightly shaded, but he stayed silent. "Hamato Raphael." The man said again, his voice more stern. "Is Michaela alright?"

The teen took a deep breath, and then spoke. "We were fighting a gang called the Purple Dragons when she was shot. I called an ambulance. . ." He glanced up at the clock, and then back at his father. "It should have picked her up by now. Donnie and Leo are going to the hospital with her. . . They sent me to come get you." The man had stayed quiet while his son had explained, and now that he was finished, only the sound of the ticking of the clock echoed on the room. "Father. . . Are you okay?"

After a few more moments of silence, the man gave a small nod. "Come my son, we must get to the hospital."

* * *

"Leo," Donnie said opening one chocolate brown eye, "I'm having a hard time meditating with you pacing the floor"

Leo looked down at the floor where the younger brother sat with his legs crossed and eyes closed. "How can you just sit there when our little sister may not make it through the night?"

"I'm not just sitting here," Donnie's voice was calm and even. "I'm trying to connect with Kayla's spirit to see if I can help."

The eldest brother raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't think the spiritual realm existed?"

"Desperate times," Donnie said quietly, without opening his eyes. "If it's good enough for Father, it's good enough for me." Then his voice rose again. "It's better than walking aimlessly around the floor." Before the older brother could respond, Donnie felt the energy of the waiting room shift. "Hello Father, Raph," he said opening his eyes and getting to his feet. His brown eyes met his father worried amber ones. "We haven't heard anything about Kayla yet."

"Thank you for the update, Donatello." The man then turned to his eldest son. "Leonardo, my son. . . Are you alright?" Leos blue eyes became shaded. And if he wasn't mistaken the man could see the beginning if tears in his son's eye's. Without much thought, he wrapped his arms around his eldest son tightly. "Michaela did what she did because she loves you very much, Leonardo."

"But. . . Father . . . I failed to protect her." Leo said into his father's shoulder as tears began to fall down his face.

After a moment, the man began to rub his sons back like he had done when they were younger. "You did not fail to protect her, my son." He spoke in a soothing voice. "You and your brothers have protected her all your lives." The man slowly stopped and pulled away. "Look at me." He said. And a few moments later, Leo brought his tear filled eyes to meet his father's eyes again. "This time she chose to protect you, Leonardo."

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 **Okay, so i admit this chapter is on the short side, but i kept short for two reasons.**

 **One, I felt like I was at a natural place to end the chapter.**

 **And two, i feel this is a good was to set up the next couple of chapters.**

 **Anyway, please review!**


	9. The Explanation Of Tears

**Hello all! As I post this chapter I am both excited and saddened to tell you that I am in the home stretch with this story as i only have two or three chapters after this one.**

 **Please Enjoy!**

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Shelia tossed and turned, then sat straight up in bed. "Kayla!" She said, breathing hard.

Just then the door to her bedroom was gently pushed open. "Shelia," her mother said from the doorway, "Are you okay?"

The red head shook her curls. "I don't know. . ." She said, her voice trailing off as her mother sat down next to her on the bed.

"Well. . . When you woke up, you said 'Kayla'." Her mother said softly.

Suddenly, Shelia's dream came back to her. "Kayla's in trouble, I know it." She said, locking her green eyes with her mothers. When her mother raised an eyebrow, she sighed. "I just. . . I just have a feeling, okay?"

The older woman nodded. "Okay. . . Call her." She said simply. Then she gave a small shrug. "If you're wrong, all you'll be doing is waking her up at one in the morning."

Shelia nodded. "Okay," she said reaching for her cell phone.

"This is Donnie." The unexpected voice on the other end of the phone answered.

"Donnie?" Shelia said surprised. "I thought I called Kayla's phone." She could hear the youngest brother hesitate on the other end of the line.

"You did. . ." He said slowly.

"Is. . . Is Kayla there?" She asked.

Again he hesitated. "No. . ."

"Donnie," she spoke with a more forceful voice. "Is Kayla okay?" The silence on the other end of the line seemed to last forever, until she spoke again. "Donnie!" She could hear him take a deep breath, and then finally speak.

"Kayla was shot while we were out on patrol tonight." Donnie said, stunning Shelia into silence for a few moments. "Shelia, are you still there?" He asked.

She shook head to focus her thoughts. "Yes, I'm here. . . Is she. . ." She stopped, unable to finish the sentence past the lump in her throat.

"She's in surgery now," Donnie spoke again.

At that moment, Shelia made a snap decision. "I need to come down there." She said looking at her mother. "I mean, I won't be able to sleep now anyway. I. . ." She took a deep breath to steady her emotions. "I'm too worried about Kayla."

Her mother nodded. "Okay . . . get dressed."

Almost at the same time, Donnie spoke on the other end of the phone. "If you're mom says it's okay, Raph can come pick you up."

"Hold on a moment, Donnie." She said looking at her mother. "Are you sure?"

Her mother nodded. "You have a special connection with Kayla." She said. Then she gave a small smile. "I don't think I could stop if it tried."

"Mom says it's okay, Donnie." Shelia said into the phone.

"Raph will be there in a few minutes." Donnie said.

* * *

As promised, The Hamato's car pulled up to Shelia's house a few minutes later with Raph at the wheel. As she got into the front seat, she cast her eyes at the middle brother. "Thanks for picking me up." She said as he pulled away from the curb.

"No problem." He said without looking at her. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course." She said, looking back out the windshield. "I've only known Kayla for a little while, but we've become close."

He nodded slightly, "I noticed."

She focused her eyes on him after a few minutes of silence. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He answered.

She watched him for a little while longer. Even in the dim light of the car, she could see something about him was different. As she watched him watch the road, she realized what it was. His normally emerald green eyes were now ocean blue just like Leos. "You took your green contacts out." She said more as a statement than a question.

"They were drying out my eyes." He said quickly. "Kayla told you that Leo and I are identical twins, right?"

Shelia nodded. "Yes, and don't think I didn't notice you change the subject." She said with a small smile. After a moment, her smile faded. "Showing emotion doesn't mean your weak, you know."

The middle brother didn't respond, leaving the car ride silent until they reached the hospital.

* * *

As Shelia and Raph entered the waiting room, Donnie stood and walked towards them. "Shelia," he said as he wrapped an arm around her waist in a hug. "Are you okay?"

She hugged him back, and then pulled away a few seconds later. "I should be asking you that, you know." Her comment was rewarded with a small smile from the youngest brother. "That's better." She said, giving him a smile of her own. After a moment however, her smile faded. "How's Kayla?"

His smile faded and he shook his head. "We haven't heard anything yet."

Shelia sighed, and then gave a small nod. "Okay." She walked past the youngest brother and looked at Leo, who had his deep ocean blue eyes focused on the floor. "Leo?" She said softly, trying to get his attention. But to her surprise, he didn't move a muscle. "Leo, are you okay?" Shelia spoke again, raising her voice slightly.

After a few more moments of silence from the eldest brother, his father spoke. "Shelia," he said focusing his amber-red eyes on her. "The tonight's events have been very hard on Leonardo."

Before she could ask what that meant, a doctor in blue-green scrubs came into the waiting room and walked over to them. "Donatello?" He said looking around at them.

The youngest brother nodded. "I'm Donatello. Is Kayla okay?"

The doctor nodded as well. "Yes, she pulled through just fine. The bullet went through her stomach and stopped just short of her spine."

"Small miracles," Her father said.

The doctor looked at the older man and nodded. "I agree." He then focused on the others. "She's in recovery right now. And she'll probably be waking up soon, so you're more than welcome to go see her if you'd like."

Again, the older man nodded. "Thank you Doctor. . ?"

"Travis," The doctor said smiling. "Jessie Travis."

"Thank you Doctor Travis." The father finished.

After the doctor walked away, Shelia turned to them. "Let's go."

"Shelia, wait." The older man said. He watched her fix her worried green eyes on him, then he focused on the chair where Leo was looking up at him. "I think Leonardo needs to go first. . . Alone."

Raph and Donnie exchanged meaningful glances, and then looked back at their father. "I agree Father." Donnie said.

Shelia wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but for some reason she knew not to argue. "Okay." She said nodding.

"A-are you sure?" The eldest brother asked.

His father raised an eyebrow. "Are you second guessing your father?"

Leo vigorously shook his head. "No Father."

"I should hope not, Leonardo." He said with a small smile. "Go speak with your sister. I'm sure she would want to speak with you first anyway."

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As Leo walked into the hospital room, his blue eyes focused immediately on the bed where Kayla was resting. His eyes moved from the IV drip in her arm, to the machine that was reading her heartbeat, and finally on the slow but consistent rise and fall of her chest. He walked across the room and stopped at the edge of the bed and just looked down at the fragile form before him. After a moment, he grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it closer to the bed.

"Kayla. . ." He began, looking up at the ceiling. But suddenly, he couldn't find the right words to say. He looked back down and focused his eyes on the face of his sister. He almost fell out of his chair when he realized that her sky blue eyes were looking back at him.

"Hey Leo." She said softly.

He reached up and gently stroked her head. "How are you feeling imouto?"

"Tired." She admitted.

He gave her a small smile. "Okay, I'll let you get some sleep. . . But first, we need to talk."

"Uh-oh," she said with a small smile. "I'm in trouble."

He smiled and shook his head, "No, not with me." Leo's smile faded. "Shelia told me about how you've been feeling lately."

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Blabber mouth."

He laughed for the first time in hours. "Don't blame her; I kinda forced it out of her." He said. Then, just like before, his smile faded. "How. . ." He took a deep breath. "How could you ever think that we would resent you?"

She took her eyes off him and focused them on the bed. "I took away your mother." She said simply.

The room fell silent for a few moments. Then finally, Leo took her hand. "Mom died, you didn't take her away. I believe that we were not meant to have both you and Mom in our lives at the same time. And now, I am grateful that I have both great memories of mom _and_ great memories with you." He spoke softly. "And I know Raph and Donnie have great memories of mother too." He gave a small sigh. "All this time, we've felt bad you never got to meet her. . . We've been trying to make up for mom not being here by trying to give you wonderful memories with us."

She reached up and took his hand in her own. "You have Leo. . ." She smiled. "You have."

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 **Bonus points if you get the Dr. Jessie Travis reference.**

 **Imouto- Little Sister (Can't remember if i said that after the last chapter or not.)**

 **As always, please review!**


	10. The Secrets Of Tears

**Okay, so I know this is a short chapter. But i felt like i was at a good stopping point with this chapter.**

 **What do you think?**

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Kayla woke the next day to see the sun streaming through the hospital window and smiled as she felt the warm sun on her skin.

"Good morning," a familiar voice to her right said.

She smiled. "Father," she said softly.

"Michaela," He smiled as well spoke softly as he place a tender hand her cheek. "How are you feeling, my child?"

She gave a small yawn, and smiled. "Better." she looked around the room, but saw no one else. She raised an eyebrow, "Where is everyone?"

"Your brothers took Shelia home and then I told them to go home themselves to get some rest." He said.

She gave a small nod. "Good."

"I agree," he said. "I also wished to speak with you alone." Sensing what she was going to say next, he raised his hand. "You are not in trouble." He said with a small smile. A split second later, his smile faded. "I wanted to speak to you about your mother."

After a moment, he then took a deep breath, let it out, and then began to speak. "Your mother was sick long before she knew you were coming into her life. And when the doctors informed her you were coming, they gave her a choice. They told her she could not continue the treatment she was getting while she was pregnant. But without the treatment, they were not sure how long. . ." His voice drifted away as he swallowed past the lump that formed in his throat. "They were not sure how much longer she would stay in this life if she kept you."

Kayla could feel the tears burning her eyes. "That's horrible." She said letting them spill out of her eyes.

He reached out and gently brushed the tears away from her face. "She had always wanted a girl," he continued. "But ended up with three boys instead. . . So when they told her it was a girl, she was determined to have you. She was so very determined to give her sons a little sister to love and protect." He reached up and brushed away a tear in his own eye. "As her sickness progressed, she was no longer able to care for your brothers. . . That was when she contacted me." He sensed her next question, and answered it. "We had become friends in my former life."

"When you were Splinter," She smiled. She was referring to her father's past life as a martial arts master.

He nodded and gave her a small smile. "I have always enjoyed that name." After a moment, his smile faded. "Your mother had no one else to turn to, so she contacted me. . . At the time I had nothing keeping me in Japan, so I came as soon as I could." He could feel the tears returning to his eyes. "I took care of your brothers while she tried to retain as much strength as she could . . . and the night you were born, I drove her to the hospital. Before they took her away, she asked me to love and protect the four of you like you were my own. I believe she sensed that she would not make it through the night. By the next morning, you had been born, and you mother passed away." There was silence in the room for several moments as Kayla attempted to find something to say. But when nothing came, her father spoke again.

"You and your brothers mean more to me than you will ever know." He said reaching his dark red kimono. A second later he pulled an eight by ten photograph and handed it to Kayla.

There were three people in the photo, one of whom she recognized as a younger version of her father. Seated in front of him was a beautiful woman with long black hair, wearing a purple kimono decorated with white orchids. In her lap was a little girl that Kayla was guessed was about three or four years old wearing a light pink kimono covered in cherry blossoms. "They're beautiful."

Her father nodded. "That is my family."

Kayla looked up to meet his dark eyes, "Family?"

"Tang Shen and I were married for almost eight years." He said smiling. "And our daughter Miwa was four years old."

Kayla sensed the use of the past tense. "Was?" She said even though she was afraid to ask.

"I was very good at what I did. . . And because of that, I attracted a lot of enemies." He took a deep breath in an attempt to control his emotions. "One night . . . one of my more volatile enemies set fire to our home." He glanced at the cane resting against his chair. "That night cost me my knee." For the first time in a long time, he let the tears that were building in his eyes slowly flow down his cheeks. "More importantly, it cost me my wife and my little girl."

Kayla felt the tears flow down her face as well. "I'm so sorry."

"They were my world, my everything." He said quietly. "I did not know what to do without them for a long time. . . I was consumed by depression, lost in my own small world." He took a deep breath, and then finally looked back up at her. "When your mother called me, I felt the energy around me change. I sensed a change coming to my life." He gave her a warm smile. "You, Michaela. . . You and your brothers pulled me out of my depression and gave me new life and new strength. . . I felt I was given a second chance to raise a family."

He reached up and softly stroked her cheek again. "I was given another chance to raise a daughter."

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 **Please Review!**


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